Wheel bearings?!

melpeter

Now that I’m ready to travel- leaving Weds. June 5th- I’m worried that I should’ve had my wheel bearings greased. It’s too late. I’ve been reading the forum and some people say just add some grease now and then. The rule about 1 year or 10,000 miles worries me. My Tab is 2 years old but has less than 2,000 miles on it. I’m going 480 miles to NC and back. Am I ok?

tabiphile

It should not be a worry. Presuming the bearings were properly packed to begin with they should still be fine. 
If you are really worried, pull the caps and pump some grease into the bearings. There have been lot's of discussions here about how to do that. 
If you are worrying on the trip, check the bearings whenever you stop. Hold your hand on the aring cap and if it feels really hot, then worry.
When you get back from your trip have the bearings greased and the brakes checked.

db_cooper

You'll be fine.  Good practice to touch the caps every fill up or potty break.  I do that every time, even after adding grease.  It gives me an excuse to walk around the camper and admire it while waiting. 😋

klenger

Or get an IR temp gun for about $30 and avoid burning your fingers.  Also handy for testing the Fridge or AC or outdoor temps.

db_cooper

klenger said:

Or get an IR temp gun for about $30 and avoid burning your fingers.  Also handy for testing the Fridge or AC or outdoor temps.

 But burning your fingers is punishment for not greasing the hubs.😁

Just kidding, we carry one of those for monitoring the fridge as well.

melpeter

klenger said:

Or get an IR temp gun for about $30 and avoid burning your fingers.  Also handy for testing the Fridge or AC or outdoor temps.

Will this work?

pthomas745

Yes, that IR sensor will work.  Practically my favorite toy these days.  Just measured my pizza oven to make sure it was hot enough.

melpeter

tabiphile said:

It should not be a worry. Presuming the bearings were properly packed to begin with they should still be fine. 
If you are really worried, pull the caps and pump some grease into the bearings. There have been lot's of discussions here about how to do that. 
If you are worrying on the trip, check the bearings whenever you stop. Hold your hand on the aring cap and if it feels really hot, then worry.
When you get back from your trip have the bearings greased and the brakes checked.

I searched but didn’t find instructions on how to get the axle cover off. Twist, pry? Unscrew? 

Sharon_is_SAM

Around the edge of the cap is a notch.  Find the notch and put a screw driver under it to pry off the cap.

Sharon_is_SAM

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/5934/bearing-maintenance-on-2016-tab-outback-s-max

There is a You Tube video here that is helpful.

melpeter

Sharon_is_SAM said:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/5934/bearing-maintenance-on-2016-tab-outback-s-max

There is a You Tube video here that is helpful.

Yes that’s what I needed to see. So may I assume the Dexter EZ Lube axle is what I have? 

ScottG

And make sure you use grease intended for the purpose. I'm not entirely sure the difference but it may have to do with heat tolerance. The specs are in the axle literature that should have come with your T@B, and the stuff should be available at any auto parts place.

For the record, my T@B is four years old, and while I've never tracked the mileage I'm sure it's well over 2K. I've never done anything more than add grease with the EZ Lube zerk at the start of every season, and frequently--using only my hand--check the temp of the hubs while enroute.

YMMV. I am a bit of a swashbuckler who enjoys living dangerously...  ;-)

Sharon_is_SAM

Yes.  We have a 2017 with the EZ lube/zerk and they were using those years earlier.  If this is the first time doing this, you can expect to use almost a full tube per wheel.  Get a decent grease gun - easy, even pressure as you pump the gun to avoid rupturing a seal.  You need a certain kind of grease as you don’t want to mix different grease.  I will look for the thread.

Sharon_is_SAM

Here @melpeter, this will confuse you further, but it defines the grease needed.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6984/axle-maintenance-greasing-or-repacking/p1

melpeter

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Here @melpeter, this will confuse you further, but it defines the grease needed.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6984/axle-maintenance-greasing-or-repacking/p1

Ok thanks. It says “Dexter recommends a Lithium Complex grease (ex. Valvoline Multi Purpose Grease is what we use here).” Now I guess I’ll have to wait until I’m in NC at an RV park because 1.There’s no pavement at my house for jacking, and 2. The temp outside is high 90s which is why I’m headed for mountains. I never expected to need these mechanical skills in owning a camper. 😱

tabiphile

A few good pumps from the grease gun should be enough to start pushing old grease...once that starts a few more pumps should suffice. 
It may take several pumps on the gun to get the air out of the grease tube, especially a new one...do that before you attach the grease gun to the zerk fitting. Pump the grease from the gun into a rag until all of the air is expelled. DO NOT push air into the bearing with the grease gun.
The idea is to make sure that there aren't any grease voids in the bearing and to (over time) replace the old grease with new grease. On a bearing that has very few miles there is no need to try and push all of the old grease out unless what is coming out looks suspicious. A single tube of grease should be enough to do both wheels several times.
If you do experience a hot bearing, then you will need to replace all of the grease and also re-check the pre-load on the bearing. Unless you are pretty comfortable with these kinds of repairs this would be a good time to take it in for professional service. And of course, when you grease, you should also check the brakes....
The reason that you cannot mix grease types is due to the different carriers used. If you mix different types the grease can separate. When that happens your grease will leak out like thick ugly oil...which it is if the carrier fails.

DougH

The first time I did mine (twenty minute job) it didn't even take a half tube for each side before I got clean grease oozing out.  I followed the YouTube Dexter instructions faithfully, spinning the tire the whole time.  Makes me wonder if my dealer might have regreased the axles and filled the empty chamber as part of dealer prep.

Bayliss

@melpeter, my 320S is a 2019, but maybe these photos will be of some value to you, or others.  I was unable to locate a notch as described by @Sharon_is_SAM, but I could tell the outer cover could be pried off in some manner.  I tried prying off the silver part of the cover with my fingernail, and then a thin screwdriver, but without knowing exactly how it was attached to the main body of the cover, I didn't want to break it.  However, once I had the wheel off and popped the dust cover out from the wheel, I could see that there are six tabs holding the T@B logo part (silver) to the main (black) body of the cover.  Yours may be different.

db_cooper

For our 2015 outback with the silver rims you unfortunately have to remove the wheel to take the cap off.  The cap had a lip that holds it in place when you put the wheel on.

Would be nice to be able to add grease without removing wheel; I considered leaving the cap off, but it would be pretty ugly.

If anyone finds a cap or other ideas that would allow adding grease let me know.

melpeter

pthomas745 said:

Yes, that IR sensor will work.  Practically my favorite toy these days.  Just measured my pizza oven to make sure it was hot enough.

Ok-  I ordered one!  Question: now that I can measure the exact temperature without burning my fingers, how hot is “hot?” 150 degrees? 200? 

N7SHG_Ham

@db_cooper you should be able to remove the Tab logo cap without removing wheel. To remove the entire decorative center cap, yes you have to remove the wheel, I have a Wells Cargo trailer that works same way, just different logo. Once that cap is off, you can remove the rubber plug to access the zerk fitting. Frankly I find it easier to get the wheel out of the way and even remove the hub cap with the rubber plug, easier to clean the grease mess up as you pump new in.

BrianZ

Here's Dexter's EZ Lube video..

https://youtu.be/XT0RKDGgDm8

Brad42

melpeter said:

klenger said:

Or get an IR temp gun for about $30 and avoid burning your fingers.  Also handy for testing the Fridge or AC or outdoor temps.

Will this work?

This is the one I have. I use it to monitor my wood stove temps. 4 years, and still works fine.

BrianZ

Thanks, @melpeter, for bringing this up, as it reminded me that we were also due for regreasing our bearings.  These Dexter E-Z Lube axles make "repacking" a DIY job and allows a longer interval between having to take them apart for inspection & repacking by hand, which I would have someone else do. 

Since the E-Z Lube method doesn't require removing the wheel, nor getting under the trailer, just jacking it up enough to be able to turn the wheel while pumping the grease in, this makes it easier too.  Seems to me that even without an asphalt driveway, you could try using an 18" long piece of 2x8 wood block to support the jack, and leaving it hitched to the TV will provide extra safety, especially for unlevel ground.

I greased our bearings after our first year last summer, so thanks to this reminder I did it again yesterday..

Since I also planned to get underneath to check the brakes, I went ahead & put it up on a jack stand under the frame by the tire.  I also lowered our enhanced scissor jack stabilizer for extra margin of safety & remained hitched to TV.

By the way, here's the screwdriver slot for popping off the hub cap - it's located under the "T@B" label.

I keep an old worn down screwdriver with rounded dull edges for things like this, to pry off the rubber seal.

And there's the zerk fitting & some old grease at the right side where it comes out all around when pumping new grease in.  It took at least a couple of ounces before I could see new grease coming out around the edges, which was about 2/3 of a 3-oz tube used in my old mini-gun.  I'd like to point out that referring to the number of "tubes" needed for the job can be misleading, as a "standard" tube is 14oz.  I wasted a lot of grease with my 40 y/o gun that has a mis-threaded cap that leaks when not tight enough, so I've ordered a new standard size gun with the larger more economical 14oz tubes.  I've been using this brand of lithium grease..
Lucas Oil 10682 Marine Grease - 3 oz (Pack of 3) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O7CLV1O
So will continue with it in the larger size.

Can you guess which of the above is last year's grease that came out?  Seeing the difference convinces me this is an important annual service,  and that's after only 6 trips or about 1600 miles between replacing grease.

Sharon_is_SAM

@BrianZ, what size tubes and how much grease did you use per wheel the first time last summer!

melpeter

Thanks! Do I need to verify that my 2017 320s has Dexter EZ Lube axles? Or can I assume it does? Also- my hubcaps have no screwdriver slot or any way I can see to remove them. My hubby is going to pry them off with a knife and attempt the procedure with plywood under the jack. My hubs: just caps without logo or slot. 

BrianZ

@Sharon_is_SAM, I  think I used about the same amount the first time last year - about 2/3 of a small 3-oz tube.

@melpeter, after you get the hub cap off, look closely at the black rubber cap under it.  On mine it is stamped with "Dexter E-Z Lube" right in the rubber (see my photo).
PS:  And, of course, under the rubber cap you'll find the "zerk" grease fitting nipple that the grease gun connects to.

BrianZ

This is interesting - After watching the Dexter video again that I posted above, I noticed at about the 1 minute mark, after they described how the EZ Lube works to replace the old grease, they end by saying, "..for a complete bearing repack".  So, it would appear that Dexter considers this procedure as not just adding some grease, but a complete repack.  Though, I would expect that's only true if you keep pumping until you see the new grease color coming back out around the sides after the old grease.  And it's not quite as thorough as manually cleaning the bearings with solvent, which also allows inspection of their condition.

Sharon_is_SAM

Yes, I noted that terminology as well.  I think most of us think that this is simply an intermediate step, but it sounds like exchanging the grease annually for trailers not exposed to water submersion, excess dust, road salt and excess miles is adequate.  Of course with monitoring your hub temps as well.  So, I guess it is up to us as to when to have the bearings inspected.

melpeter

Thank you everyone for such good and thorough information. It was apparently do-able and I feel much better heading for the hills tomorrow. 

RCB

Another *small* issue with the bearings is the tightness of the bearing to the axle. When the wheel is off the ground, try to wiggle the tire/wheel from side to side;  rotate the tire and wiggle it again . If there is play the bearing needs to be tightened. Remove the wheel and then the bearing cover, then the split pin, then tighten the nut ever so little but enough to remove any wobble. A loose bearing will wear quickly.